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Planning enforcement

Reporting an alleged breach

If you think building work or a change of use is happening without permission, you can report it to us. Our planning officers will look into the issue and decide whether action is needed to protect local areas, neighbours and public safety.

Please note that enforcement action is discretionary. We assess each case based on its impact and the public interest.

What you can report

You can report concerns about:

  • work carried out without planning permission or other consent (such as listed building or advertisement consent)
  • changes in how a building or land is used without approval
  • development that does not follow approved plans
  • conditions attached to a planning permission not being met
  • work to protected trees or trees with a Tree Preservation Order

To help us investigate, please include as much detail as possible, such as photos, dates, measurements or a short diary of events.

How to report a planning breach

All complaints must be made in writing using our online planning breach reporting form. We normally cannot investigate anonymous complaints unless there is a serious risk to public safety or public amenity.

Report planning breach

Issues we cannot investigate

Some concerns are not planning matters or are handled by other services. These include:

  • land ownership or title deed disputes
  • untidy land, fly‑tipping or abandoned vehicles
  • construction working hours or site safety
  • parking issues on public roads
  • noise, odour or light (unless linked to a planning condition)
  • unsafe buildings or structures
  • work on council‑owned land or council houses

How we decide what action to take

Our Planning Enforcement Charter explains how we assess and manage enforcement cases.

We consider:

  • the level of harm caused
  • whether the issue can be resolved through discussion
  • whether a retrospective planning application could be acceptable

We do not take formal action for minor or technical breaches that cause no real harm. Wherever possible, we aim to resolve issues through negotiation before taking formal steps.

Scottish Government policy on enforcement is set out in the Planning Circular 10/2009: Planning Enforcement.

Enforcement register

You can view enforcement notices served since September 2012 on our planning portal.

For notices before this date, use our Planning enforcement register.